Month: January 2024

Lesson 3

DO WHAT YOU LOVE

As you journey forward you will find there is something that moves your heart, something you love or something that you do that others may not. Find it!

“Let yourself be silently drawn

by the strange pull of what you really love.

It will not lead you astray”.

For me it is the many ways I can find that allow my creativity to escape. Inspiration is the key for all creativity. There are as many ways to be inspired as there are stars in the heavens. Whether it is by painting, knitting, photography, journaling, traveling to places or by my favourite, writing poetry, I look for inspiration whatever I am. Today, I decided to take a walk and immerse myself in nature. I am surrounded by a boreal forest on an in-land lake cradled under a picturesque waterfall escaping over a rocky ledge. I know the view alone is inspiring! I find myself taking pictures that sometimes hit Instagram, although they never portray the depth of seeing it with the naked eye. The stillness, so serene, has no voice, you just breath it in and it becomes a part of you. My body now filled walks a little more until I hear the flurry of excitement.

A flock of snowbirds

enters the scene

tiny wings fluttering

as they devour the cedar

the tree explodes in a

blast of energy

as they fly branch to branch

tasting

the cedar tips laden with

recent snow

create a new storm

as snow falls with each

birds fluster

once done they all fly away

joined at the hip

in community

off to another forest friend

exposing the scene back to me

the stillness of a tree

nestled on the edge

of an in-land lake

my mind blanketed by the experience

inspired me to write

What is it that you love to do? What brings you Joy? Today I challenge you to move towards that which is meaningful to you and there you will find your uniqueness and your joy!

Namaste Tribe, Jacqueline

Lesson 2-CHANGE YOURSELF TO CHANGE THE WORLD

When you let go of who you are, you become who you might be. Deep, very deep! I took a moment in time many years ago as a young adult and asked “Who am I?” When I looked within I saw everyone else except myself. I was the creation of all my parents wants & desires, my societies expectations and even as a soldier, my countries enlisted responsibilities and demands. I was a figment of everyone else’s imaginations. That was the beginning of my awakening. Who I was in the 1990’s is not the same person I am today, nor should it be.

In this lesson we are called to not be satisfied with the stories that made us. Who you are now is who you want to become. I’m here to tell you to forget everyone else’s expectations. Live your life where you fear to live. Be notorious, be brave. Once we begin the journey of shadow work we end up in a place where we should be asking ourselves some very big questions. Questions like; who am I, what do I believe, what do I want, where do I belong and where will I be in 5 years? Taking the steps to self orient is a step in the right direction. Who might you be in this age of re-defining oneself? You could possibly be an inventor, a creator, a warrior, a spiritual way shower.

In retrospect I am no different than you. I live and breathe and have my being enjoying my body, my life, sometimes living and learning my lessons the hard way. I have been to the bottom of a bottle and to a mountain’s highest peak but it is in the middle spaces we live. Since a child I have always known I am different.  I have always been pulled towards psychology and towards the spiritual realm. These were my first two loves. My being has always had a mission and that is to uplift humanity.

The intension of my poetry is to open you up to the spiritual possibilities, heal the land, the separation between us and remind you of the sovereign being that you are.

Here’s hoping I accomplish this great task!

Namaste Tribe, Jacqueline

Life of a Poet Series – RUMI

Lesson 1 – LET GO OF JUDGMENT

BOOM, lets get right to the heart of all that hinders us.

According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, judgement is described as “a process of forming an opinion or evaluation by discerning or comparing; a formal utterance, a divine sentence or a proposition stating something believed or asserted”. I underlined discerning because I believe this is a skill one develops over time through our experiences, for our protection, and should be used as such. What RUMI is talking about is judging and deciding what you think others do or should do needs to stop. You don’t need others approval on how to live your life nor should you care about theirs. What others think of you is NOT your concern.

Rumi states: “Out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing there is a field. I’ll meet you there; when the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about”.

As an independent, free thinker growing up in a society that demands conformity, this is a hard lesson for me. As I began to be labelled as a rebel, feminist or dare I say conspiracy theorist, I saw a void of separation begin to develop within my family, friends and acquaintances. I however did not bow down and confine myself through others eyes. I began the process of “Shadow work” and looked for ways to still love and care for others while maintaining my own truth & authenticity. Letting go of judgement means finding those fields of green where we can meet others, as we each journey through this life. As we teeter on the future we all want to create, Rumi’s work, created 700 years ago is still relevant today. Now more than any time in history we need to create those precious spaces of compassion, love, tolerance and charity within each of our lives. Letting go of judgement requires us to do some shadow work, which means looking within and asking ourselves, “What is it within me that hinders me from letting go of judgement? and then releasing old discriminations, past negative experiences, feelings of lack of control, self esteem issues or imbedded systemic class beliefs. Whatever you find is yours to release. Then ask yourself, “Can I meet others in a grassy knoll and lie down my barriers to begin the process of opening our hearts to receive more love, joy and peace?

It’s time to shine your light

Namaste Tribe, Jacqueline

The Life of a Poet

Today begins a seven part series concentrating on the 7 life lessons from RUMI and how I am applying them to my life.

For those of you who don’t know, RUMI was a Persian poet, Islamic scholar and Sufi Mystic. Born in Afganistan on September 30, 1207 and died in Turkiye December 17, 1273. Rumi was on of the great spiritual masters and poetic geniuses of mankind. His works discuss the concept of God and the definition of love. According to Rumi’s philosophy, life should be a journey to union with the one true God.

Rumi’s most famous poems include “On the turn”, “When I die”, and “The gifts of the beloved”. According to the New Yorker article “The erasure of Islam from the Poetry of Rumi” Jan. 5 2017 by Rozina Ali, “Rumi is the best selling poet in the United States. Although a lifelong scholar of Islam Rumi was less frequently described as a Muslim. Whether it is a newer rendition on Rumi’s poetry or an exact translation by a Muslim cleric, Rumi understood there is a space between right-doing (religion) and wrong-doing (infidelity) where he meets us”. A space of compassion and love that Rumi put forward more than seven hundred years ago that is still a teachable moment for us today.

Rumi saw us all as one and his doctrine of peace and love advocates tolerance, reasoning, and charity with the same eye as Muslims, Jews, Christians and others. Love is what keeps us alive.

“Your task is not to seek for love,

but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself

that you have built against it”

Rumi

Self empowerment and spiritual development are timeless. Our ascension lies in moving beyond the boundaries of a mere human to much higher aspirations of who we want to become. Rumi’s 7 life lessons are a pathway. It is only with each step we take, that our lives will unveil our potential.

Join me each Sunday as I present each lesson and share how I am following this path to open my heart so I can receive more love and compassion this year.

It’s time to shine your light Tribe,

Jacqueline